Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Legend…In Every Sense of the Word

Charlton
Heston: Hollywood’s Last Icon – Marc Eliot (Dey St.)

The call came in from the NRA press office, with the
question, would I host a local rally, introduce Wayne LaPierre and Mr. Heston
would be available to record and interview. Wait…what? Mr. Heston? As in Moses…Ben
Hur! The NRA road show was coming through town to rally Second Amendment
supporters to get out and vote for George W. Bush.

The local hall was jammed with 3000 proud gun owners, enthusiastically
cheering on the NRA team. After firing up the crowd and starting the
festivities, I was escorted back to a dusty storage room, converted for the
occasion into a “green room” where Heston waited for his introduction. I was
going to interview Moses! As I stepped into the room I was a bit startled by
what I encountered. Here was a man who was a true Hollywood legend; a man who
had played larger than life historical figures and yet here was an almost
fragile, slightly frail version of Heston.

He stood, in stocking feet, and beamed a thousand watt
smile and grasped my hand with a firm grip and with the voice of Moses welcomed
me like an old friend. He explained how his feet bothered him, hence the lack
of shoes and we began the interview. Later when he took the stage, raised the
rifle above his head and uttered his trademark phrase “from my cold dead hand”
to shouts from the throng.

That was my interaction with a man author Marc Eliot
writes about and dubs Charlton Heston:
Hollywood’s Last Icon. In the book Eliot explores not only the man, but
Hollywood itself in a different era; an era of real stars, who earned their
status, not expected it. Heston was a star with real star power, that very few
can generate today.

Eliot describes Heston’s transition to the
conservative, NRA stalwart that he would become in his later years. He also reminds
us of the glaring deferences between stars from Heston’s era and those of this generation,
who stooped to insult Heston after he publically revealed his battle with
dementia, because they disagreed with his stance on guns in a era of Columbine.
It really boils down to the difference between being classy and a low life,
loser, scumbag like Michael Moore.

Like he did with, Jimmy Stewart, Steve McQueen, John
Wayne, and Clint Eastwood, Eliot does a masterful job of cover the real breadth
of Heston’s life and career.